For the past 21 years, Charles W. Smith has provided funeral needs in Collin County through an ever-expanding business that now includes a facility in Lavon.

Charles W. Smith and Sons Funeral Home opens its new location at the intersection of Hwy. 78 and Hwy. 6 in September, adjacent to Lake View Cemetery.

Smith bought property from Lake View Cemetery to build a 9,610 square foot funeral home. The Historical Abston Cemetery was expanded to form Lake View Cemetery. The original cemetery is named for John Abston, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who moved to Collin County with his family in 1853. He died in 1856 and is buried on the site.

Several Abston family members and relatives were interred in the small cemetery. Abston is the only Revolutionary War veteran buried in Collin County.

“Lake View Cemetery is the only perpetual care cemetery in east Collin County,” Smith reported.

Smith, who is also president of the Lake View Cemetery Corporation, explained that perpetual care funds, which are generated as a percentage of plot sales, are controlled by the Texas State Banking Department. This guarantees the funds will be available even if ownership of the cemetery changes.

The new funeral home is made of Austin stone and is a full-service facility. It will offer all funeral arrangements and work with Lake View Cemetery to provide plot and grave marker sales and pre-need services.

Inside the building are a chapel with stained glass windows, reception area, private offices, records vault, casket display room, visitation rooms and a community/reception room. Lake View Cemetery has an outdoor pavilion that is perfect for family gatherings and graveside services.

Closed circuit television viewing is available for larger crowds that exceed capacity of the chapel and the audio portion of services may be piped throughout the building. Smith notes that they also have the capability of live streaming services to those who are unable to attend a funeral.

The funeral home owner also offers cremation services and operates a licensed crematorium at another location.

“With cremations an increasing option, I built my own crematory,” Smith said. “I also provide cremations for other funeral homes.”

Along with traditional burials, arrangements may be made to inter cremains in the ground or in a columbarium at Lake View Cemetery. The columbarium is a granite structure containing niches for urns. Names of the deceased are engraved on the exterior of the structure.

“There is not another columbarium around here,” Smith pointed out.

Director of sales and family services at Lake View Cemetery is Sabrina Nance.

“I work with families to make sure their loved ones have a final resting place that is peaceful and dignified: from the location of the gravesite to the final monument design and detail,” Nance said.